Preventing & Reversing Type2 Diabetes there is 3 simple steps.
Do you or someone you know have type 2 diabetes? Chances are the answer is yes.
That’s because according to the https://worlddiabetesday.org/, 1 out of 11 adults worldwide has diabetes.
The majority of cases (95%) are type 2 diabetes. Yet this is largely preventable and, in some cases,reversible.
But how? Eat a low-carbohydrate diet, right? Wrong!
Continue reading to learn about three simple steps you can take to help prevent and potentially reverse type 2 diabetes.
But first let’s start with the sugar myth.
The sugar myth
Most people, including health professionals, think sugar or carbohydrates cause diabetes and
if we just avoided them, we’d be fine.
This is an over-simplified and, in fact, erroneous approach to a complicated disease.
The root cause of diabetes is insulin resistance.
Let’s take a step back.
When we eat food, our digestive system breaks it down into individual nutrients,
such as glucose, that get carried into our blood.
From our blood, we need a hormone called insulin to transport that glucose into our bodies’ cells where it’s used
as fuel for all of our bodily needs.
The problem begins when insulin stops working very well and the glucose, unable to enter the cells,
accumulates in the bloodstream.
This is what’s called insulin resistance.
Think of it this way, insulin is the key that unlocks the door and lets glucose into the house.
Imagine you came home one day, and someone shoved chewing gum into your lock.
You’re trying to put your key in the keyhole, but you can’t because of the obstruction from the gum.
This is an analogy for what’s going on inside your body when insulin resistance begins.
Insulin can’t perform its function because your cells are literally gummed up with fat.
What is the source of this fat?
High-fat foods and/or an excess of calories overall, which in turn produces more fat in your body.
So, it’s both the fat we eat and the fat we wear.
Where do we find the most high-fat foods?
- Any food from an animal!
- All kinds of meat, dairy, fish, and eggs.
- Processed foods of any kind.
- Animal-based processed foods: the worst offenders are processed meats such as hot dogs, sausages, pepperoni, etc. (sosis, sucuk, salam, pastirma, vs)
- Plant-based processed foods: fried foods such as potato chips and even plant oils such as olive oil!
If we reduce the fat in our diet, we literally “clean out” the lock holes and insulin starts to work again.
Step #1: Low-fat whole-food plant-based nutrition
Preventing & Reversing Type2 Diabetes;
The first and most important step is to enjoy a low -fat, whole-foods, plant-based diet. The Secrets to Aging Gracefully:Top 3 Healthy Lifestyle Habits.
What’s in?
- Vegetables
- Fruits (yes, fruit!)
- Whole grains
- Beans
- Nuts & seeds (in moderation)
- Herbs & Spices
Most people are shocked about fruit.
If you have diabetes, you might be thinking: “if I eat an apple, my blood sugar will go up”.
Now you may be right but that high blood sugar reading is not because of the natural sugar from the apple,
it’s because the insulin couldn’t open the lock.
Once we clean up the locks, your body starts to normally metabolize healthy and essential foods like fruits.
Remember that a high blood sugar reading is a symptom of diabetes, not the cause.
What’s out?
- Animal products of any kind
- Meat – red meat, chicken, fish
- Eggs
- Dairy foods – milk, cheese, yogurt, butter
- Processed food of any kind – ready-made baked goods, snacks, meals, etc.
- Even plant oils such as olive oil should be minimized and/or eliminated
Step #2: Movement
Preventing & Reversing Type2 Diabetes;
Sedentary lifestyles have become the norm around the world.
Yet our bodies were designed for physical activity.
Regular movement can improve the functioning of insulin (what’s known as insulin sensitivity).
It doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated.
A brisk 30 minute walk every day is a great place to start. Of course, always aim for more!
Step #3: Intermittent fasting
Not eating is another powerful way to improve insulin sensitivity.
A common schedule that is both effective and safe is the 16:8 method whereby you fast for 16 hours and eat
during an eight-hour window.
Non-caloric beverages and water can be consumed at any time.
For example, after your dinner you would not eat anything else until around lunch time the next day.
Never undertake a fast of more than 24 hours without medical supervision.
The time is now
People with underlying conditions such as type 2 diabetes are much more likely to succumb to infectious
diseases, like COVID-19.
There could be two reasons for this.
Diabetes weakens the immune system, making it harder to fight the disease.
Secondly, the virus seems to flourish in an environment of high blood glucose levels.
If diabetes runs in your family, it’s not so much the diabetes genes that are inherited but rather the family eating habits and recipes.
In other words, you are not hostage to your genes; diabetes does not have to be your destiny.
For more information
I highly recommend a recent bestselling book called “https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/”.
You might wonder how this can all be true; if it’s so revolutionary why hasn’t your doctor told you about it?
Sadly, doctors all over the world receive little to no nutrition education as part of their training.
Secondly, it can takea generation for a paradigm shift to occur.
In other words, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence in favor of low-fat, whole-foods, plant-based
nutrition, the conventional medical community is still fixed in a pharmaceutical paradigm with little to no emphasis on lifestyle.
In the meantime, millions of people needlessly suffer.
Don’t be one of those people.
Get informed and go plant-based!
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